Boy accidentally kills younger brother on Sagkeeng First Nation

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This article was published 03/11/2011 (4760 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A nine-year-old boy was killed when he was shot by his older brother Thursday night on the Sagkeeng First Nation, RCMP said Friday.

The boy was shot in the upper body by his 14-year-old brother inside his family’s home just before 7 p.m. Thursday, RCMP said.  He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

RCMP D Division spokesman Corp. Miles Hiebert, speaking to reporters this afternoon, said, “all indications are pointing to a tragic accident.”

The firearm was a rifle, he said, adding one parent was in the home at the time along with other family members.  The younger boy was hit by one shot and sustained “significant” injuries, Hiebert said.

RCMP are still trying to determine who owned the gun, and how the 14-year-old came to be handling it.

David Courchene Jr., a neighbour to the family, said the boy, who was in third grade, lived at the home with his parents and six siblings. The boy’s father works on a seasonal basis for the band.

“In a situation like this, we’re reminded of how sacred our children are,” said Courchene.

Hiebert warned Manitobans that they need to be careful and well-trained when handling firearms.

“The situation can go from nothing to deadly in moments and there’s no turning back the clock,” he said.

Sagkeeng Chief Donovan Fontaine said the tragedy has strongly affected the community, which has an on-reserve population of 5,800.

“Everybody’s in shock,” he said. “Children are precious.”

Fontaine said the school the boy attends has about 260 students.

The property where the boy was shot had sets of antlers on top of a shed. Fontaine said hunting is a normal activity for people who live in the community.

“Hunting is a way of life for our people,” said Fontaine.

It’s been a hard week in Sagkeeng, a First Nation community located 145 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Residents in the community  are already noting on Facebook the boy’s death is “another sad tragedy in our community.”

On Monday, Eugene Robert Fontaine was found dead in a backyard shed. An autopsy concluded Fontaine died of blunt force trauma, and RCMP say the attack happened following an argument at a party in the home. Two men from the reserve face charges of second-degree murder in that case.